Mountain biking routes, outings, walking, and general outdoors based in Scotland

Friday, March 16, 2007

Trail Troubles

Spring Blossom

Haven't been out on the bike since Monday but I have been out and about, clearing trails, walking Failrie to Largs, a brolly walk or two into Kelburn. Met an old rock climbing friend in Kelburn, he has just got early release from the life sentence of..er..work. He was taking his dog for a walk around Kelburn, one of my regular trails. Unfortunately the dog isn't really very keen, its a bit of a couch potato dog, I think he needs to trade it in for a livelier model and leave old lazy bones (the dog) at home.

On the Scottish news a couple of nights back a photographer chap in Edinburgh was mentioned having a video on YouTube (video link), I had a looks and it got me thinking about speeding up video clips to give movement on 'stills'. I've shot a bit over the past few days and put it into a Spring2007 video of spring blossom and blowy views around West Kilbride.

Recently one of my trails has been getting debris intentionally thrown down to inhibit the passage of mountain bikes, today I met Mr BlockaTrail and without being confrontational I'm hoping the little problem is solved, time will tell.He is a walking chap, has done a number of long distance paths with friends arranging their own transport support so they only need to carry a day pack and can camp on route saving cost. He's been walking the local trails for 30 years, although I spend many hours keeping them clear and haven't seen much evidence of anyone else doing the same, maybe he just walks elsewhere once the bracken comes up, and crawls through the undergrowth when it gets dense.

This morning I was up one of my secret MTB trails, oh dear! the downhillers have found it and the scars are there to prove it, skid marks, speed ruts, trees have been cut and the start of berms put in. I know there are some chaps up there who don't like that happening in the wood, and removed some little things I did there, so its all about to become a bit fraught. Ah well it may not last I've noticed flurries of work before then nothing, short attention span perhaps, I just hope its the same this time.

Hope you've also got something lined up to releave the boredom.There are some fancy units that link into the computer so you can chase down the virtual cyclists in a computer simulation. The simulation also varies your work output dependant on the game play.